Harry Potter and the Secret of Gryffindor
by Alyssa Patterson
Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermione all return to Hogwarts for their fifth year, but this strange fifth year girl is transferred to Hogwarts from an American school, with a secret. And what's with all the golden comets falling all around London?
1. Birthdays and Comets

I'm fiddling with this idea...so don't be all 'grr' if it's not good . I don't own any of the characters except for the one ^^  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Birthdays and Comets  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Harry Potter sighed as he stared into the starry night. A couple faraway crickets chirped from down in the garden and a cool breeze ruffled his untidy jet-black hair. Harry was a rather skinny boy with knobbly knees and jet-black hair that always seemed to be untidy no matter how many times he combed it down. The most interesting part about him was the thin, lighting shaped scar on his forehead -- a curse scar given to him by Lord Voldemort, the most powerful and feared Dark Wizard.  
  
Ron Weasley's snores echoed behind him and his owl, Pig, was snoozing in his cage. Hedwig, his own snowy owl, was in her cage beside Pig's, her head under her wing. The clock on the bedside table read 12:45 in bright emerald green letters.   
  
Harry was spending the summer -- and the rest of his life, in fact -- at the Burrow. When the Weasley's had told him that they'd officially adopted him, his heart gave tremendous leap of joy and he actually hugged Mrs. Weasley around the middle. He'd actually be leaving the Dursleys -- no more people flinching at the sight of him, no more being pushed and punched by and his gang -- he was free.   
  
It also struck him, as he glanced at the clock again, that he'd been fifteen years old for almost an hour. He was getting ready to climb down from the windowsill, when he heard the rustle of blankets and a groan come from the bed behind him. Harry looked across the room at Ron as he sat up and looked over at Harry.   
  
"What're you up for?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Couldn't think."  
  
Ron looked over at his bedside clock and immediately grinned at Harry. "Happy birthday." He laughed at Harry's shocked expression. "I know you're not used to that with the Muggles but people actually like you here."  
  
smiled. "Thanks, Ron."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Harry walked over to Hedwig's cage and he noticed she had awoken. She was watching him with her amber colored eyes as he unlocked her cage. She nipped at his finger affectionately before swooping across the room and out the window. Pig was still sleeping, his tiny head under his wing.   
  
Just as Ron was about to close the window, a large tawny owl swooped through the window, almost causing Ron to fall backwards into his dresser. The owl landed on Ron's shoulder, dropped a letter in his hands, and waited patiently for his paying. Ron slipped a silver sickle into the owl's leg pouch and he took off, swooping through the window and into the night.   
  
"This must be Hermone's answer. I told her my mum and dad adopted you." he said, as he tore open the letter and proceeded to read it outloud.  
  
"Dear Harry and Ron,   
That's great news! That Uncle Vernon Harry has been talking about sounds absolutely dreadful. Do you like my new owl? His name is Calais."  
  
Ron paused after that sentence to look up at the large tawny owl, who was currently lounging in Hedwig's empty cage. The owl looked up at the two boys with his yellow eyes and hooted and Ron continued to read.  
  
"Crookshanks, unfortunately, has run away. I've tried looking for him, but unless he comes back on his own, he's gone for good (much to Ron's dissapointment, I can guess.)  
  
I know Ron won't like this, but I have been made a Prefect. I got my badge and the letter two weeks into the vacation! I'm so glad to finally have been made a Prefect!"  
  
Ron groaned. "That's just perfect...first Percy, then Hermione!"   
  
Harry grabbed the letter and continued to read.   
  
"Anyway, happy birthday Harry! Calais should have your birthday present attached to his leg. It's not much, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Hope you have a good life with Ron's family!  
  
Love,  
  
Hermione"  
  
Harry looked up from the letter and saw a small, square package on the floor under the window.   
  
"Hermione's owl must have dropped it on his way in," said Ron, as he picked up the package and handed it to Harry. "Go on, open it."  
  
"What could possibly have sent me that's so small? Can't be a book..." Harry mumbled as he opened the tiny package and removed the paper. "It's a Rememberall! Neville had one!" he said, as he held up the glass ball the size of a large marble full of gray smoke. Harry blinked as Calais landed on his shoulder, gave a sharp nip at his ear with his beak, and soared out the window.   
  
"Not a very friendly bird, is it?" asked Ron, as he watched Calais fly away over the treetops.   
  
Harry shook his head as he placed the Rememberall on his bed, and looked out the window at the now pink sky. "Nearly sunrise." he said, getting up and stretching. "Want to go downstairs?"  
  
"Alright then," said Ron, getting up and opening his bedroom door, Harry in tow. The two boys walked down the numerous flights of stairs in the Burrow, and Harry stopped once they got close to the living room.   
  
"George!! That was my FOOT!"  
  
"Soooooorry Perce..."  
  
"SHHH you two! I think he's coming!!"  
  
A loud shuffling and rustling was heard as the Weasley family obviously tried to hide as a part of their suprise birthday party for Harry. Ron turned to grin at him and let him go first down the stairs. Once he stepped off the bottom step, he almost laughed outloud. George was standing in the corner, trying to be as straight as possible, a lamp shade on his head. The top of Percy's head was visible behind the worn old couch. Ginny's rear end was sticking out behind one of the big armchairs.   
  
"SUPRISE!" the Weasley's all yelled at once, jumping out from their hiding place.   
  
Harry laughed and tried to act as suprised as possible as the Weasley children surrounded him and began to pull him towards the kitchen table. Mrs. Weasley emerged from the kitchen, a sticky chocolate cake with "Happy Birthday Harry!" written across the top in gooey emerald green icing.   
  
"Happy birthday, Dear! Ron's told us you've never had a proper birthday with those horrid Muggles you live with so we thought we'd throw you a party!"  
  
Harry grinned as the family ushered him to the dinner table, where fifteen candles were lit on the cake. After an off-key rendition of the Happy Birthday Song, Harry blew out every single one of the candles, only to have them re-light themselves.   
  
"A Muggle trick. Mum found a pack in a shop and she thought it would be funny to put these on your cake." Fred explained, picking the still burning candles carefully from the cake and putting them out on the nearest paper plate. As they ate cake, Ron, Harry, Fred, and George talked about Quidditch as Ginny, Percy, and Mrs. Weasley discussed other things.   
  
As nightfall began to creep closer, Harry dashed upstairs and grabbed his top-of-the-line Firebolt broomstick, and the four boys marched outside to play a quick game of Quidditch. Fred, George, and Ron could only stare enviously at Harry as he swooped swiftly in between the trees and high into the air, catching anything Fred and George could throw at him.   
  
As Harry flew higher into the air to be able to reach an apple George had chucked at him, something large and golden streaked past him, and crashed into the ground, making a crater.   
  
"Hey! What was that?!" said Harry, flying down to examine the crater.   
  
A few seconds later, another golden thing whizzed by, narrowly missing Ron's head.   
  
"Hey I think these are comets!" said George, pulling his jacket over his head.  
  
"Why in the world would comets be streaking down from space??" yelled George.   
  
"RUN FOR IT!" yelled Harry, as multiple comets began shooting down from the sky, making craters in the ground. Ron slammed the back door behind them safely and looked around at everyone's confused faces.   
  
"Beats me...It seems to have stopped now."   
  
They all peered outside. It was true. The sky was now comet free. As they unsteadily marched upstairs to get ready for bed, Harry began to wonder. Why would comets suddenly come shooting down out of nowhere without any warning? And why were they such a brilliant golden color? These questions haunted Harry as he fell into a rather uneasy sleep after an exciting day.   
  
  
  
*End Part 1* 


	2. Misplaced Memories and Magical Potions

Heres Chapter 2!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Misplaced Memories and Magical Potions  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Bright sunlight streamed in through Ron's bedroom window, making the orange walls brighter than they really were. Harry slowly opened his eyes and groped along his bedside table for his glasses. Once they were on, he looked over at Ron who was already dressed, and looking at him.   
  
"Geez, were you tired last night or something? Been trying to wake you for a half an hour!"  
  
"Guess I was tired...why you want me up so badly?"  
  
Ron shrugged. "I thought we could go out back and check out the craters those weird golden comets made to see if we can find out where they came from."  
  
Harry nodded, dressed quickly, and followed Ron downstairs. Mrs. Weasley was busy shuffling around the kitchen, preparing breakfast. She noticed Ron and Harry as she opened the lid to a large pot on the stove.   
  
"Oh, good morning bo -- oh NO!" she yelled, as about three brilliant red fireworks shot from the pot and circled the room before exploding into bright sparks. Harry and Ron slowly sneaked from the kitchen and out the backdoor while Mrs. Weasley was busy yelling herself hoarse at the staircase for Fred and George to come downstairs.   
  
Harry stopped as soon as he caught a glimpse of the garden, and tried to get Ron's attention. He was currently peering into the kitchen to see what kind of trouble Fred and George would get into.   
  
"Ron...?"  
  
Ron turned around and blinked.   
  
"Where'd all the craters go?"  
  
Indeed, the grassy garden was completely crater-free. Aside from the ever present lawn gnome sneaking along the garden wall, the area looked as if it hadn't been touched in over a week.   
  
"How could that be..." wondered Harry aloud.   
  
Ron turned and went back inside the house, Harry in tow, and found Mrs. Weasley setting plates on the table for breakfast.   
  
"Mum? What happened to those craters we told you about? The ones made by those golden comets?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley looked at Ron as if a Fillibuster Firework had come shooting out of his ear. She looked over at Harry who just stared back, waiting for her answer.   
  
"Dear...are you feeling alright?" she asked, immidiately coming over and feeling both of their foreheads with her hands. "You feel pretty cool...now where did all this nonsense come from about golden comets and craters?"  
  
"Mum!! We told you about it last night! Me, Fred, George, and Harry were playing Quidditch when a bunch of golden comets almost knocked us off our brooms! They made craters in the ground out back and now they're gone!"  
  
"Ron...if this is your idea of a joke..."  
  
"It's NOT!"  
  
Mrs. Weasley gave the two of them anothe quizzical look before hurrying off to the kitchen again, muttering things about "lunatic kids". Harry and Ron gave each other a weird look before hurrying upstairs to Fred and George's room. Harry knocked once and Fred poked his head through a crack in the door.   
  
"Hullo," he said.  
  
"Hi," said Harry. "Fred, did you fill up those craters? The ones the golden comets made last night?"  
  
Fred gave Harry a look that almost matched the one Mrs. Weasley gave them. He looked over at Ron, who nodded and he looked back to Harry.   
  
"You two must be off your rockers. Now if you'll excuse me, me 'n George were working on something."  
  
"Probably the Weasley Wizard Wheezes..." Ron muttered from behind him, as they walked back downstairs for breakfast.   
  
Harry looked up at the old grandfather clock that stood beside the fireplace. The clock now had ten hands instead of nine, the newest one reading "Harry Potter" engraved into the worn gold clock hand. The hand reading "Arthur Weasley" was still pointing directly at "work".   
  
"Dad's still at work?! He's been there for over three days! How's he getting sleep?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley set down a large plate of toast and looked at the grandfather clock. "They probably have rooms there, Ron. Or he's at a nearby friend's house. Stop worrying so much." She rubbed her temples, a sign of stress. Harry wasn't suprised. Taking care of five kids alone probably wasn't easy.   
  
Breakfast that morning consisted of toast, hash browns, eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausages, muffins, and orange juice. Mrs. Weasley always went all out when it came to cooking a meal. She knew the Dursley's hadn't been feeding him properly all his life, so she always tried to persuade him to take fourth and fifth helpings. After breakfast, Ron and Harry got up from the table and headed upstairs and into Ron's room.   
  
Harry sighed and flopped down on his camp bed -- he'd be using a camp bed until the Weasley's could get a bed for him upstairs. "Why is it no one can remember those comets? They're not exactly something you can forget about easily..."  
  
"I know...it's all very peculiar. Do you think it has something to do with You-Know-Who?"  
  
Harry snorted. "It ALWAYS has something to do with Vol -- sorry, You-Know-Who."  
  
Ron fell silent. Everyone was careful to mention Lord Voldemort around Harry ever since the Triwizard Cup incident last year. No one besides Harry knew exactly what had happened in that deserted cemetary. Well, one other person knew, but he wasn't exactly in the condition to tell anyone about it. Cedric Diggory, one of the Hogwarts Champions, had died tragically during the attack.   
  
Suddenly, a large owl swooped in through Ron's open window and deposited two thick envelopes on Ron's bed. The owl had the Hogwarts coat of arms around it's neck. Harry paid the owl two bronze knuts and it took off again out the window with a small hoot.   
  
"Been wondering when those would get here..." muttered Harry as he picked up the envelope addressed to him. He opened the thick envelope and took out the first sheet of parchment  
  
  
~~Dear Mr. Potter  
  
Enclosed, is your list of course books and other materials you will need for your fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We regret to inform you the Yule Ball will not be held this year, so please do not bring dress robes. Term begins September 1st at King's Cross Station at eleven o' clock. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.   
  
  
Sincerly,  
  
Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress~~  
  
  
Harry took out the piece of parchment that had the list of things he would need for the oncoming year. He wouldn't be needing new robes, or a new wand, but the list DID include a strong pair of dragonhide gloves. Harry gulped. He wondered what kind of dangerous (and probably illegal) creature Hagrid had managed to get for his Care of Magical Creatures class.   
  
"You've got to get dragonhide gloves too?" said Ron, peering over at Harry's list.   
  
"Yeah...can't want to see what we've got to use them for."   
  
Ron smirked, just as Hedwig soared in through the open window and landed on Harry's shoulder.   
  
"Hedwig! Where have you been?"  
  
Hedwig hooted softly and nipped his finger affectionately as he stroked her. Harry looked down and noticed a letter and a small package attached to her leg. He untied the letter from her leg, and Hedwig flew over to her cage, gulping down some water. Harry unfolded the letter and began to read outloud.   
  
"Dear Harry,   
  
How have you been? I heard you've moved away from those Muggles you live with and moved in with your friend Ron. That's good. I never trusted those ruddy Muggles anyway.   
  
Hedwig has got to be the smartest owl I have ever seen in my life. She showed up just as I was about to mail your birthday present to you. Sorry if this is a bit late, I had some trouble finding something since I am in hiding and all. I hope you enjoy your gift, and tell Ron I said hello.   
  
Sincerly,  
  
Sirius"   
  
"That was nice of him," said Ron, picking up the small parcel Sirius had sent and giving it to Harry.   
  
Harry tore the top of the box away, along with the paper inside, and lifted up what looked like a bottle filled with a thick black liquid. Ron gave a quizzical look to the bottle as Harry turned it over.   
  
"Look, a note fell off of it!" said Harry, picking up a small slip of parchment. He unfolded it and read it outloud to Ron.   
  
"Dear Harry,   
  
This is a special potion used for predicting the future. All you have to do, is toss a capful of this potion into the nearest fireplace, and the flames will turn into a sort of television screen. You must tell the flame how far into the future you want to see before you toss the potion inside, though. I stole it from a shop in Hogsmeade a couple nights ago. I hope you enjoy it!  
  
Sirius"  
  
Harry looked back to the bottle of black liquid, and set it down. He had the strangest feeling it would come in handy very soon.   
  
Ron picked up the bottle, uncapped it, and sniffed it.   
  
"Whoa! This is some strong smelling stuff!" he said, snapping the cap back on the bottle.   
  
Harry glanced outside to the darkening sky and he blinked.   
  
"Ron!! Outside! LOOK!" Harry rushed to the window, followed by Ron to see a large golden comet come rushing past the window and land in the front yard with a 'BOOM!'.   
Harry looked down and was very suprised to see the comet be sort of sucked into the ground, and the crater close itself up.   
  
"Brilliant...how'd it do that...?" asked Ron, as another golden comet came whizzing by.   
  
"I have no clue...but I really don't like this..."  
  
  
*End Part 2* 


End file.
